Relaxing in Banff

As we drove into Banff a thunder storm was just ending and a huge rainbow behind us had traffic stopped on the other side of the highway.  It was a very impressive sight!  We paid our admission to Banff National Park and made our way to our bed and breakfast.  We decided to stay at Thea's House, after lots of research on the various hotel options in Banff.  I am so glad we decided on a bed and breakfast, especially this one, it was perfect!  If you ever find yourself in Banff, please consider staying here - Jami the owner is wonderful, the rooms are beautiful, and the location is perfect.  After a little unpacking and freshening up, it was almost 10:00 p.m. before we made it out for dinner - and the sun was just setting!  We chose a spot on Banff Avenue for dinner and settled in for our nightly viewing of the Olympics.  After dinner we walked around a bit, but we were pretty exhausted from our hike in Glacier so we headed back to get some sleep. 

Charles at the Whyte Museum in Banff

Our second day in Banff we had breakfast and coffee at the B&B and then headed downtown to check out some of the shops on Banff Avenue and decide on an agenda for the rest of the day.  We had seen a sign for an art gallery on our way into town, so we decided to find it and check it out.  The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies is just off Banff Avenue and had a couple great exhibits.  My favorite was the Yellowstone to Yukon exhibit that included art by painters who spent time in Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Banff, and Yukon National Parks.  It was really cool to see paintings of all the places we had just been. 

Yellowstone to Yukon exhibit

After a quick lunch it was time for a hike, we decided on the Tunnel Mountain trail that began a few blocks behind the B&B.  Jami, the owner of Thea's House recommended it for a great view of the town from the mountain above.  The trail was heavily populated, so this time bears weren't of great concern.  The view from the top was gorgeous!

At the top of Tunnel Mountain in Banff

After our hike we decided to go sit by the river and just hang out and enjoy the beautiful town of Banff.  We picked a shady spot with a good breeze off the glacial river and Charles began a painting and I did a little writing.  

Writing and Painting in Banff

After a relaxing afternoon of just letting the town of Banff move around us, we went back to the B&B to get ready for dinner.  We ended up at the Maple Leaf for dinner and Charles surprised me with an early birthday celebration. 

Pre-Birthday celebration

The next day it was time to head out into the rest of the park and make our way towards Vancouver.  We spent the morning walking around Banff Avenue one more time, then headed to Lake Louise for a hike.  We decided to take the long way to Lake Louise in hopes that we might see a grizzly.  Guess what - we saw one!!  I tried to snap a photo before a park ranger rushed us along, but it didn't turn out very well.  But, Charles got a picture on his iPhone:

Grizzly Bear

Beautiful Lake Louise

We hiked to the top of the Lake Overlook and Charles did a quick sketch for a painting.  After a couple hours at Lake Louise it was time to head through Yoho National Park in order to get to Kamloops, British Columbia for the night.  We stopped at several attractions in Yoho National Park - the Spiral Tunnels, Kicking Horse River Natural Bridge, and the Emerald Lake - all worth a quick stop.  Charles braved the frigid waters of the Emerald Lake, there were a few other swimmers brave enough to get into the 50 degree water, but not me!

Kicking Horse River Natural Bridge

Natural Bridge over Kicking Horse River

We left Yoho National Park for the four hour drive from the national parks to Kamloops where I had made a reservation for the night.  Little did we know we would be checking into a college dorm for the evening.  We finally arrived in Kamloops around midnight and followed the directions I had saved on my phone.  We arrived at the destination address and realized we were on a college campus - Thompson Rivers University.  I double checked the address, and according to our reservation on Hotels.com we were in the right place.  We walked in and had to wait a few moments for someone to come back to the desk.  There were signs for orientation up and some pictures of resident assistants, but there were also tourism brochures set out for guests.  Finally someone appeared to help us figure out whether we did indeed have somewhere to sleep for the night.  It turns out the dorm is used as a hotel during the summer and so we checked into our dorm room.

Our dorm room in Kamloops

The dorm room, while rather strange, was just what we needed - a place to get some sleep so we could continue on to Vancouver the next morning, and it included a continental breakfast!  All in all, it was an interesting experience.  After checking out we headed to Vancouver to go to an MLS game - Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Real Salt Lake.